combined-10th-11th-report.pdf

Negotiated Settlement Agreement, Combined Tenth and Eleventh Semi-Annual Report December 2008 to the scene to conduct an investigation; that members report use of force properly; and that proper coordination of interviews and notifications are made for lethal force incidents or incidents likely to result in serious injury. They also found that the Department is nearly in full compliance with Task 26, which requires that certain types of force be reviewed by a Force Review Board to determine if the use of force complies with Departmental policy. The Department was found in partial compliance with Tasks 25 and 35, which require that use of force reports be thorough: providing an analysis of the evidence, addressing any discrepancies in officer and witness statements, documenting witnesses to the use of force, and addressing whether the use of force was proportional to the resistance encountered by the subject. In addition, these tasks require use of force reports to be reviewed by the chain of command. Reviewers must make compliance recommendations. Although the Department did not meet all the requirements of Tasks 25 and 35, it has made significant improvements in the quality and completeness of use of force reports. Training is ongoing to ensure that the Department achieves full compliance with the use of force requirements. The Department’s use of force expert routinely works with sergeants, lieutenants, and captains to reinforce the use of force policies. Also, officers involved in use of force incidents and their sergeants are required to appear before the Force Review Board to receive training when deficiencies are identified during an incident where force is used. In addition, the Department has created a new position, Use of Force Coordinator. The officer in this position is responsible for tracking use of force cases. The Department has struggled to meet use of force reporting timelines; the new coordinator will assist the Department in complying with these timelines. AWARD-WINNING PERSONNEL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM The Agreement requires the Department to develop and implement an early identification system and intervention program. The purpose of this program, known as PAS, is to identify officers and employees of the Department who exhibit at-risk behavior or substandard performance. Early identification of these behavior patterns facilitates supervisory intervention and ensures timely corrective action. Intervention is intended to prevent officers and employees from continually exhibiting poor behavior and engaging in poor performance practices that may ultimately result in Internal Affairs complaints, judgment payouts in civil litigation, and ill will between the community and the Department. Through the implementation of PAS, careers can be saved, police sergeants are given the information they need to better supervise their subordinates, and the community as a whole is better served. The Agreement also requires the Department to employ a computerized database system to gather and consolidate performance information from various sources into one easily accessible point. Initially, Motorola was chosen to provide the Personnel Performance Evaluation Information System (EVALIS), but failed to meet delivery deadlines. To meet Agreement requirements in a timely manner, the Department collaborated with the City’s Department of Information Technology (DIT) to develop and launch i-PAS, which gathers information on individual officer or employee activities from existing data records. These data records document activity in various areas of law enforcement work, including complaints, uses of force, arrests, 11